I growing fonder and fonder about it recently, almost obsessive. I would like to deck one out with hard luggage, mid-size windscreen,hand guards and a gps and I think it would be the ideal bike for me. I've rented a GS a few years ago and really liked the motor, just didn't like the overall size of the bike and height of the seat. The R and RS seem to be right-sized motorcycles to me. Actually the RS is more to my tastes but the bar reach isn't comfortable and the nekkid R has a certain raw appeal. Never know for sure if it's the right bike until you own it or have an extended test with one

Of course it's expensive hence the "aspirational" moniker. Weirdly the only aesthetic that would drive me crazy are the offset cylinder heads. I know that would bug me, a lot. Anyway, just pondering during a snowy Spring day here in New England. Anyone have experiences with the bike please share. Or tell me about THE bike for you.

Long timerJoined:Aug 8, 2007Oddometer:1,105Location:Arizona$5999. - NEW DRASTICALLY REDUCED PRICE - $5572.43 !Beautiful bike with lots of goodies!This is the elusive & desirable black with white pinstripe model.It has the top of the line adjustable Wilbers shocks put on by Ted at the Beemer Shop.It has a full Staintune exhaust system and Power Commander, and has been dyno tuned by Mark LaDesma. (He is one of the top tuners in Arizona) it is putting out an honest 106.81 hp and 81.71 ft lbs to the rear wheel.A Stebil Nautilus air horn resides where the charcoal canister used to live. ( behind the headlight)It also comes with a very comfortable custom Sargent seat, that sits a little higher & further back than the standard Sargent. I also have an un-used stock low seat for it as well.A BMW dark tint sport screen is on it, but it also comes with a clear one and the BMW touring screen (& brackets)Of course is has, from the factory, ABS and the on-board computer & heated grips too!The BMW hard bags will come with it as well.The bike has always been garaged and has never been down.Currently, it has only about 45,000 miles on it. ( just broken in! :-))

Fortunately, the motorcycle market has many models for many interests, and my interests are almost exclusively based on local riding. Riding more than a commute or a two-hour pleasure ride is more than I wish to consider. My 'new' FZ-09 is closing in on five years old, and my Morphous is closing in on ten. Several reasons exist for the stability in my garage, and impending retirement/relocation is near the top of the list, but that may open the door for new plans.

I am very close to concluding (translation: an escape clause in case I reconsider) the FZ-09 was my final internal combustion engine motorcycle purchase. The only motorcycle on the market that truly interests me *** today *** is the Zero DS.

Although the green color is appealing, an electric motorcycle seems an ideal local ride for me. The performance and battery life are now more than sufficient for my purposes. The price is reasonable, but in a couple months my current primary income will cease, so some caution is in order. Having the DS, or something similar, come from a larger company such as Honda or Yamaha would undoubtedly provide a greater comfort level for support after the purchase.

I truly like owning both the FZ-09 and the Morphous; their differences make them more appealing than either one would alone. I sold the TU250X because owning three motorcycles no longer seemed appropriate for me. Would a Zero DS replace either the FZ-09 or Morphous? I'm not ready to let go of either. Overall, a nice problem to have. But if I HAD to buy a motorcycle in the next week, the Zero DS would likely get the nod.

Itís a beautiful bike re the BMW. We test ride the Zero bikes. They are fun. If I was still working I would have gotten one. For our style of riding the limitation is the battery life. If one could get me an 8-10 hour day if hard riding I would get one in a heart beat.

The only motorcycle on the market that truly interests me *** today *** is the Zero DS.

I've not rode the DS, only felt the weight and sat on a few at a motorcycle show. There is one that tools around the neighborhood of Gloucester that I've seen time to time. I did test ride the Victory Empulse a few years ago. Lots of fun and the instant torque is thrilling. I also like the looks of it but with Victory folding I don't think the Empulse model will go into Indian's line-up. The tech may show up again in some other cruiserish form.

As battery driven vehicles become more and more ubiquitous the idea of an electric motorcycle for more adventurous rides isn't far away. Consider charging the bike to near full in ten minutes and getting 120 to 150 miles. The tech is there but the infrastructure is not.

I wouldn't be concerned about the Zero's reliability, electric motors are so much simpler than internal combustion. Would love to try out a Zero someday.

I'm always fascinated by these kind of discussions. One of the things that I get from this discussion is the right tool for the right job. Steve, your idea is probably great for you, but an electric bike that you can climb on and do 700 mile days is a ways off. I look at bikes in almost the opposite way from you. If I don't think that I can ride it from 7 AM to 9 PM it looses a lot of it's luster. You might find that in retirement your riding desires change a little.

Dan. I think that I'd avoid the Victory for the reasons you said. Polaris may decide not to support Victory parts after a while. Harley has done that with Buell from what I understand. I've just always had a lust for a Buell Ulysses XB 12. They've gotten down to a reasonable used price, but I've heard that parts have become a nightmare.

The R series has always been a good one in BMW's lineup, and this one looks like another winner. I remember, a number of years ago, I was wanting to move away from the GL1500 and go to a smaller, more sporty type of motorcycle. I found a new R1100R at the BMW dealer in Anchorage and decided to buy it. We chose to consider it a bit more and when we came back the next day, a friend of ours had just purchased the bike! RATS!! I kept the GL.

I like how this new one looks, and properly outfitted, as you describe, Dan, it could a good one for long distance riding as well as local playing. Should you move past the "aspirational" aspect and buy this bike, I don't think you'd be disappointed. I do agree, thought, that the offset cylinders look a bit odd, at first glance, but you do get used to it. When we bought the R1150RT for Peggy, (a bike we both disliked, as it turned out) we both thought that the offset cylinders looked odd, but after awhile, realizing that we rarely looked down at them when riding, never thought about it anymore. I understand that the new R1200 series is a whole different animal from the 1150 series.

Compare the 140 miles at 55 mph range of the $13,900 M-15 S to the 98 miles of the $15,995 Zero SR 13, or the 123 miles of the $18,690 Zero SR. More range, less cost.

I honestly don't think that any electric bikes are capable of the length of ride you're interested in having, but this one is very interesting. I especially was impressed with their comparison to the Zero:

ZEV BEATS THE MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE ZERO

ZERO estimates its range from dyno test runs. ZEV determines its range from actual on the highway driving on USA east coast highway driving. The ZEV LRC-X has 68% more highway range over the ZERO DSR with the power tank at the same speed 55 mph. The ZEV motor has 2.5 X the torque of the ZERO motor. The ZEV has a bigger battery charger in kw by 38% for a faster charge. The ZERO lacks the vast storage space of the ZEV and he hauling ability. The ZEV has a 3 inch lower seat height than the ZERO. The ZEV seat is a big roomy seat with room for two people to ride comfortably. The ZERO lacks the full fairing weatherproofing of the ZEV.

Documented by owner/rider in Russia, the ZEV with 25% less battery capacity than a 12 kw ZERO, ran 35% more distance.

In the 2016 Vetter Challenge, the ZEV LRC ran less watts per mile power consumption than either of the two ZERO based streamliners in the competition and completed the 130 mile run as did the streamliners which each had larger battery packages.

I really like the white and red paint job on your bike. Curious to know range on a full tank of gas if you have that info. Thanks!

I don't have any specific mpg numbers on her bike, but she rode it for the first time this year today, leaving the house with 156 miles on the last fill, riding about 35 more miles to Spearfish, where her low fuel light came on, so that would put her at 191 miles with an unknown reserve distance, but 'low fuel' lights generally come on prematurely in my experience, so she must have had at least fifty miles left, likely more. She's probably getting fifty, to mid fifties for fuel mileage, but she always gets better mileage than I do l, on the same bike.

Overall, it's a superb motorcycle, and one of the best handling bikes I think I've ever ridden, it loves a curvy road.The front brakes would be at home on any superbike, one-two fingers at the lever.

The 'waterhead' boxer engine is also phenomenal, with instant throttle response, and a very satisfying torque punch in the midrange and a great acceleration rush into the higher revs. This definitely ain't your grandpa's R69. They're rated at 125hp, and you can definitely feel it if you want to. Teresa's R1200R is an upgraded model with some, mostly cosmetic, extras over the base R1200, but it doesn't have the premium suspension or assisted shift system that allows you to just hold the throttle open and do clutchless, computer-controlled, foot shifts up and down the gearbox.

I think all R1200R's have cruise-control and heated grips, at least hers does.

Thanks, Dan. That's a very informative and entertaining review. Nice to know where Zero installed the flux capacitor . The upright, standard seating position suits me best. Agreeing with his conclusion about the range eliminating the motorcycle from purchase, the video is from May 2016 and I would have reached the same conclusion.

From limited reading, 2016 seems to be somewhat ancient history (OK, maybe 'ancient' is a stretch) in terms of vehicle battery technology. My understanding is the 2018 models have substantially improved range as the technology evolves, and I most likely would not consider a pre-2018 model even though the desired engine power was already there.

Always meant to follow this up with my short test rides at Americade on the R1200R. I really enjoyed it, it's a relatively light weight bike, well balanced and fairly potent with something like 125 horsepower. Aside from all that what I liked most was how easy it was to handle. The BMW test rides at Americade were usually really spirited on some very technical roads and while I held back at times at no moment was it the bike's failings more my trepidation at hitting certain blind turns at a high rate of speed. That's not to say I didn't hustle the bike and it was so sure footed, shifted well and accelerated out of turns in a very satisfying manner.

I love the shaft drive, luggage options, really it's a blank canvas kind of bike that you can modify to your needs. Unless something else catches my eye this bike is on my short list for a someday bike. I just got to get it into my head about spending the kind of cash that BMW wants for their machines, even gently used they can be pricey. Also, the offset cylinder heads still bug me, but I think I can live with that.

Dan, we had an 04 BMW R1150RT for awhile, and like you, we were initially put off by the slightly offset cylinder heads, but after awhile we got used to it and never paid attention to it.

We didn't like that bike, though. The engine seemed coarse and the gear ratios seemed wrong. Unless we were riding at highway speeds, it felt like it was never in the right gear--either too high or too low, no matter the speed, and never "just right.". BMW claimed it produced 95 HP, and I was alway wondering where about 85 of them were hiding. Other than that, it was good-looking, comfortable, and handled well. I'll give it that. I understand that subsequent year models had different gear ratios to make it easier to live with around town at traffic speeds. I expect that the R1200R is a whole different beast, though. Sounds like a fun motorcycle.